


Reading the Waves

by sanctuary_for_all



Series: A Thousand Ways [6]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Feels, First Kiss, First Time, Fluff, Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-16
Updated: 2016-11-16
Packaged: 2018-08-31 08:34:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8571613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanctuary_for_all/pseuds/sanctuary_for_all
Summary: Danny is better at reading Steve than pretty much anyone, but even the best navigators have some blind spots. (spoilers for 7X08)





	

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry this is late, but I needed some time to recover after the election. I know there are probably a thousand of these, but I was so grateful to be writing fic again I hope you'll accept this thousand and first.

“I still haven’t forgiven you for the sandwiches, you know. I’ve forgiven Lou, because he’s a kind and generous man and saved me a sandwich. Not only did you not save me a sandwich, you stole _credit_ for them.” Danny drank down the last dregs of his beer, using the empty bottle to gesture at his partner. “You’re a thief. A thief of credit.”

Steve gave a lazy grin as he took another drink of his own beer. “Just basking in your reflected glory, Danny.”

“Was that sarcasm? Is that sarcasm I’m detecting?” He stole Steve’s beer, deliberately finishing it off before setting the bottle down next to his. “I don’t know whether to be proud or appalled.”

Steve nudged Danny’s foot with his own. “Hey, at least I bought you apology sandwiches.”

Danny raised an eyebrow at him. “You bought yourself sandwiches. I just happened to show up and claim one.”

Steve shot him a look that said “seriously?” better than words could. “I knew you were coming. There was one for Grace, too, in case you dragged her along.”

Danny shook his head, watching Steve’s face. “Not tonight. The lovebirds are doing homework under the Grover family’s watchful eye.” Danny had swung by Steve’s instead of heading home, the same way he did anytime he had a spare moment these days. Cath and Doris McGarrett had both done a number on Steve – _again_ – and though Danny had regretfully not gotten the chance to punch them he could still keep an eye out for any emotional bleeding. Someone needed to, damn it, and no one else ever seemed to step up for the job.

The fact that Danny was far too emotionally invested in Steve McGarrett for his own damn good was beside the point.

Steve leaned back in his chair. “I’m going to be the bigger man and not tease you about that even a little bit.” His lips curved upward a little. “You know what, though, the fact that you’re insane is actually what saved everyone. The reason Lou found out about the hostage situation was because he went over trying to save Will from your wrath.”

“Hey, I like Will. It turns out Grace has better taste than either of her parents.” Danny let himself watch Steve, thinking about his “taste” and the lockbox of thoughts and feelings in the back of his head that he wasn’t allowed to open under any circumstances. There used to be a general one, but over the last few years Danny had needed to make an entirely new one exclusively devoted to Steve-related things he definitely wasn’t allowed to think about.

He knew himself well enough to know what was in there. But it was better for everyone when he didn’t let himself dwell on it.

Steve's smile shifted slightly. “Speaking of taste, the whole ‘pick a base’ line didn’t hurt your chances with any of the single moms who were there. I heard them talking as we were getting everything cleaned up.”

Ah, yes. Apparently, the lock on the Steve box was getting rusty, because that little tidbit had snuck out when Danny hadn’t been at all prepared for it. “You know that was just a joke, right?” he asked after a moment, even though he knew the fact that he was clarifying only made him look more suspicious.

Steve shrugged. “Sure.” 

And really, that should have been it. His stress-induced slip of the tongue hadn’t even been registered as a slip, which meant that there was zero risk of any awkward discussions arising from it. He should be relieved.

And he was, mostly.

But he was also just a little annoyed. Steve had said it immediately, with the calm certainty of someone relating one of the basic facts of the universe, which meant that he hadn’t even _noticed_ the fact that Danny was constantly wrestling with vastly inappropriate feelings for his best friend and partner. “ _Why_ are you sure?”

He expected Steve to shoot him a look implying that Danny had lost his mind, which in all fairness he probably had, then lob back some smart-ass comment that would send them off into one of their usual rounds of witty repartee. Instead of following his lines, however, Steve kept his eyes on the ocean and his voice as calmly certain as ever. “Because you don’t think of me like that.”

Huh. Danny’s brow furrowed as he studied Steve’s face, trying to figure out why such a seemingly innocuous answer was pinging the “something’s off” switch at the back of his brain. It felt… oddly specific, like it was the only possible answer to the question instead of the more general, socially acceptable brushoff two entirely heterosexual men would use with each other. Also, Steve hadn’t even glanced over at him ever since he’d brought the topic up, keeping his attention on the water more firmly than he ever did on the damn road while—

He cut himself off with a shake of the head, turning away as he slapped the train of thought back with words like “wish fulfillment” and “sexual harassment.” Steve had been a SEAL for years – if there was anything weird going on, it was probably sheer uncomfortableness with even the theoretical concept of being involved in guy-on-guy loving.

Which, you know, suddenly pissed Danny off a little.

He turned back to Steve. “I don’t, huh?” he tossed back, shoving a dangerous flicker of hurt back into the deep dark lockbox at the back of his brain so there would only be room for blessed righteous indignation. He told himself that this was just him being an ass, annoying his partner a few steps closer towards being a well-rounded human being. It wasn’t a real discussion, which meant it didn’t mean anything. “What if I did?”

There were several options available to Steve at this point, from the teasing he should have used earlier to a counterattack on one of any number of topics. Anywhere from 80 to 90 percent of those options would end in an argument, but that was hardly surprising when it came to the two of them. Besides, Danny was in the mood for a good argument.

But then he saw Steve flinch, like he’d been hit, and any frustration drained out of Danny like someone had pulled a plug. “Not now,” Steve said, voice quieter and so much more tired than it had been even just a few minutes before. “Not about this. Please.”

This… wasn’t like the gun thing. The realization settled over Danny like a blanket as he watched Steve’s face shut down, eyes still fixed determinedly out at the ocean. This wasn’t Steve having his viewpoint challenged, or even uncomfortable. This was Steve in pain.

Shit.

Silence was probably the safest answer at this point, but encouraging Steve to quietly brood in his own pain was something way too many people were already way too damn happy to do. Annoying him into talking about it probably wasn’t going to be terribly successful, but maybe he could try to probe more gently. “Is this about Catherine?” he asked, his voice as careful as he could make it.

Steve closed his eyes. “Sure.”

But the tone was different with this one, the easy agreement of a man who desperately wants to talk about anything else than what’s actually being talked about. Striking Catherine off his list, he moved on to the other likely topic of Steve’s personal torment. “Your mom?”

Steve’s only response to that was to push himself to his feet and head back toward the house, which could be translated as either “yes” or “fuck you.” Danny stood as well, hurrying to catch up to him. “Steve, damn it, you can’t always just brood in silence! Human beings talk about things with each other!”

Steve whirled back around at that, and even in the fading light Danny could see the wounded anger in his eyes. “Just because I didn’t want to talk about it doesn’t mean I was _brooding_! I accepted the way things were _years_ ago, and I’ve been happy for you every time you had a girlfriend.”

Danny froze. There were two ways to take that statement. One of them would hit like a punch in the stomach, and the other would change his life forever.

Steve was still talking. “…dated. I genuinely _tried_ with Catherine, and the fact that I wasn’t good enough had _nothing_ to do with....” His voice trailed off as he processed the look on Danny’s face, his own going pale. “And you don’t know what I’m talking about.” He sounded strangled, and looked more scared than Danny had ever seen him. “Which is nothing.”

Well, that answered Danny’s question about how he was supposed to take this.

The lockbox of Steve McGarrett-related feelings burst open, a tidal wave big enough to leave Danny reeling. Steve, unfortunately not privy to what was going on inside Danny’s head, immediately pivoted and started back toward the house at a speed just short of running.

Danny, for his part, was still too shell-shocked to communicate the necessary information to get his feet moving. His mouth, however, had a direct line to his heart and knew exactly what to do. “You were wrong, McGarrett,” he called out, his voice cracking.

The words froze Steve in his tracks. Slowly, oh so slowly, he turned around without saying anything.

“So you’re gonna make me do all of this. Okay.” Danny inhaled unsteadily. “Well, first we should probably get out of the way that I _do_ think about you like that, and probably have for at least a few years now. I try not to think too much about the specifics.” He swallowed. “Which leads to the fact that _I_ was lying when I said the offer of a kiss was a joke. And, well... it’s still on the table.”

They both just stood there for what seemed like a small eternity, the sound of the ocean freakishly loud in the quiet. It was long enough that Danny started to doubt his read of everything that had happened in the last few minutes, and he gave serious thought as to whether actively fleeing would be the best—

The thought cut off when Steve suddenly strode toward him, dove down, and kissed the hell out of him.

Danny was entirely in on this plan, yanking Steve down even further to deepen the kiss. The angle wasn’t that unfamiliar – he’d dated tall women before – and the fact that it was _Steve_ filling his senses immediately rocketed it to one of the top kisses of his life. He was happily prepared to drown in it, his body ready and eager for a crash course in Gay Sex 101.

When they broke apart, Steve looked dazed. “You were serious,” he breathed, still sounding stunned even after the delightful demonstration of seriousness they’d both just experienced.

Danny grinned. Clearly, they’d both missed a hell of a lot. “So were you.”

A sense of wonder stole over Steve’s face, making Danny’s chest hurt in the best possible way. “Can... we take this inside?”

Danny pulled him down for another kiss. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

**Author's Note:**

> Come check out my new original fiction on my [blog](http://jennifferwardell.blogspot.com) or say hi to me on [Tumblr](http://sanctuaryforalluniverses.tumblr.com)


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